Writing a French CV: Format, Phrases and the Photo Question

A French CV is its own genre: one page, precise headings, and conventions recruiters check in seconds. Here’s the template in your head.

The skeleton (in this order)

• État civil — name, phone, email, city (no full address needed), LinkedIn.
• Titre — the job you want, bolded: « Développeur web junior ».
• Expérience professionnelle — reverse chronological, each with 2-3 bullet achievements.
• Formation — degrees (le Master, la Licence, le Bac +5…).
• Compétences — languages WITH CEFR levels (français : B2 !), tools.
• Centres d’intérêt — yes, the French expect a hobbies line; keep it specific.

Action verbs that land

Bullets start with verbs in the past: géré (managed), développé, coordonné, augmenté les ventes de 20 %, encadré une équipe de trois. Numbers beat adjectives.

The photo question

Optional and increasingly skipped. If you include one: neutral background, business dress, genuine smile. If in doubt, leave it out — no recruiter rejects a CV for lacking a photo.

La lettre de motivation

Still expected in France. Three paragraphs: vous (why this company), moi (what I bring), nous (what we’d do together). End with the formal formula: « Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées. »

Common mistakes that scream “translated CV”

Recruiters spot an English CV in French clothing in seconds. The classics:

• Calling the document a résumé → in France, un résumé is a summary of a text. The document is un CV, full stop.
• « J’ai géré une équipe » in your bullets → drop the j’ai: Géré une équipe. French CVs are allergic to full sentences.
• Translating a Bachelor’s as le baccalauréat → the Bac is the school-leaving exam. A Bachelor’s is une Licence (Bac+3).
• Capitalising months → French months stay lowercase: janvier 2024, never Janvier.

The follow-up call: a real exchange

— Bonjour, je vous appelle au sujet de ma candidature au poste de chef de projet.
— Oui, vous l’avez envoyée quand ?
— Il y a dix jours. Je voulais savoir si vous aviez besoin d’un complément d’information.
— C’est noté, je transmets votre demande au responsable du recrutement.

Two traps dodged here: your application is une candidature (une application lives on your phone), and the job is un poste — masculine. La poste is where you buy stamps.

The job-hunt words that never appear on the CV itself

The vocabulary around your CV matters as much as the words on it:

• un entretien — an interview; « passer un entretien » means to have one, not to pass it.
• un CDI / un CDD — permanent / fixed-term contract. The CDI is the holy grail of French working life.
• un stage — an internship. Nothing to do with a stage — that’s une scène.
• une candidature spontanée — applying with no advertised opening. Common in France, and recruiters respect the initiative.
• embaucher — to hire: « Nous embauchons ! » is the sign you want in the window.

FAQ

How long should it be?

One page. Two pages only after ~10 years of experience. French recruiters treat concision as a competence.

Do I translate my degrees?

Give the French equivalent + original: « Master (MSc) in Marketing ». The Bac+N system (Bac+3 = Licence, Bac+5 = Master) helps recruiters place you instantly.

What comes after the CV?

The email that carries it — writing professional emails — and the meeting it earns: the French job interview.

Quick practice